Game apparatus.



H. S. COWLES.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0121.5. 1914.

1,164,993. Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH cov, WASHINGTON, D. C.

cHIcAGo, iLnrnoisfnssienon. or oNn-nALFr'ononnirn."

To all whoi'n'z't may comm.- l v HARRY s. cownns, or,

Be it knownthat I, HARRY S. CowLns, a

citizen of the United States,.anda resident of Chicago, county of. Cook,and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new, and useful Improvementsin GameAppa-ratus, of.

which the follo-wing is declared to be a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates'to games, and, more for playing,

particularly, 3 to apparatus gamesfwherevariouskinds of playslloccurble, may be rolled, and having a runway in the gameandwhere score is tobe kept of the several difierent kinds of plays! :The device has beendesigned with special reference to playing a game simulatingfiihe gameof baseball, although it may be u ed for 1 playingmany other similarlywell.

known games. The object is to provide a simple and amusing device uponwhich; a spherical body, such as a small ball or-marformed witha largenumber of depressions, many of which the spherical body may. lodge whenits momentum is spent, the

names of the different plays in the game of baseball, or any other game,being printed adjacent to said depressions, whereby the player mayobserve the value'of his play.

-To, such ends, this invention consists in the several novel features ofarrangement, con- I struction and combination of parts, hereinafterfully described and claimed.

The invention isclearly illustrated in the drawingherewith, in which: i

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a game device embodying a simple formof the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view of, a spherical bodyused inconnection with the device shown in Fig. 1, for playing the game; Fig. 3is a detail, longitudinal section through the device seen in Fig.1, 1,partly. broken away; Fig. 4 is a face view of a score sheet which mayaccompany the device; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through oneend of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring to the said drawing, 10, designates a strip of material, suchas wood or metal, having in its upper face a lengthwise running groove,11, forming a runway for a spherical body, such as a small ball, marbleor the like, 12. Preferably, said groove is centrally disposed betweenthe sides of the strip 10, and the upper faces, 13, of the adjacentportions slope down,

Specification of Letters Patent.

' cowr.ns, or oHIcAeqILLIn'oIs.

GAME APPARATUS.- V

wardly, sloping faces adjacent the central groove act to permit the ballor marblel to return tothegroove, and one of said'faces forms aconvenient place upon which to.

print the various playsto-be made inplaying the game. Inthe bottomofsaid groove are a number of depressions,1l, arranged in alinement witheach other and extending practicallygalong the entire length of thegroove, and said depressions are here shown in the form of transverselyextending corrugations, which, for the sake of convenience, may beformed by a strip of corrugated metal, 15, placed on the bottom of thegroove and secured therein. Preferably, the corrugated strip ispermanently secured in the groove, and I have shown its ends bent downover the ends of the strip, 10, as at 16, 17, and tacked thereto bytacks, nails, or any other like fastening device, 18. If desired, thestrip may be tacked to the bottom ofthe groove at a number of placesalong .its length. To prevent the ball or ,marble from running off thefar endof the runway, I provide a stop at that end, and it" is hereshown as formed by bending up the corrugatedstrip, 15, as at 19, beforeform- Patented Dec.2j1, 1915. Application fiieioqtoberfi,1914,,Seria1No..864,993. i I

ing the downward bend, 17. Obviously, any

equivalent expedient may be employed for forming a stop at the far endof the runway.

At theinitial or nearend of the runway, is a-smooth or hollowed-outplace'upon which the ball ormarble is placedwhen it is to be propelleddown the runway, and I have shown the strip, 15, as formed with. adownwardly curved portion, 20, for this purpose, 1

' On'one of the inclined or sloping faces,

13, of the strip, 10, or on a strip of paper, cardboard, or the like,21, secured to said strip, 10, are printed words and symbols designatingthe various plays occurring in the game which is to be played, hereshown as comprising the various plays occurring in the game of baseball,there being one play designated opposite each groove of the corrugatedbottom of the runway, Any one skilled in this art, will readilyrecognize the kinds of plays designated by the words or symbols printedopposite the corrugations. Certain plays occur more fre- 7 scores orplays i occur-ringinthe -aotua-l;game

and, consequently, thOseplaysare represented'finore' often. Thede'vioe',theref6re', gis

7 mademore attractive and interesting, and fa game can be playedWith'this devioe where in the score Will partake of the nature of the,

of baseball.

7 *With the device thus fard esori'hed is asso ciated a card or sheet,22, having printed thereon m'ordinary diamond? and other associatedmatter of a scoreboard showing oiits, bal1s,strikes',- etc.';.jwhich*"arewell known to those skilled in thisart. "This 65rd" isiiised m keeping s'core'when the'ga nie'is H f j 'ger anfl theend'o'ft'he housingtn'd Infuse a marbleo'r othersihttllspher'idd l" L bodvof l'ess diameter than "the Width fffly f Copies of this patent beobtained for gr ,*1 isla'id iipon the smooth, hens-w ilac'e the initialend o'f the stripg'afid tlie first-hplayer pro els the" marble"ztlongithe runwayby striking-it Withhi's fingerx-He I i thenobservesthevalue of thefblay' opticite;

the corrugation where the marble stopsg a'rrdf kee s a'recordther'eof,using the score board like objeotgfm'ay be used for kee i'n-g score,

and, after noting the value of"hi-splay,-"thef player'p'lacesa'd'isk'npon the score board over the sp'otdesig'nating the time of orinstance, if the marhl e sholild? p vstop "thep'laoe indicated by521115, he pl'ades a disk upon one of the first circlesfiirfclerne'a ththe" Word-ball. If the next play isou't, he removes" the disk from'thecircle and places it on the first circle under the word-out. If theplavis"one base,'fheplaces disk on the first base? of the" dia'fnondP clearsthe score-Card of an the" dfsks flexc'e'pt those on the circles mark-e11depend entirely up n. "chance-for S'u'cl'ii-E'SSii"! winning the game,but the player niai i us'e 1 tro'l the ball to'stop almost at anvtildes-Tie desires. in the -game of baseball, there-f other Wins thegame.

Tn the mod i'fie'd form illustrated in Fig. 5, I have shown aplunger QB,in a housing;

are-twosides, twvo or morej'persons my play the game, one halfJthe-Vnumber taking tone side and-the other half taking the other side, and'thevinay play alternately through t he' us 1 al nine inningsf unlessthere is a tie at the' end'of the ninth lnning, Wherelupon they may playuntil one side-orthe through the end of the'housing; which may begrasped by' 'tlie pla er and dra n back therein. H V Moreerqessvariation6f the exact details is pqssib'lewi I of this invert n,

aridft des'iyi-"thetetbre; ot

te srate'ntz bo-dy' stinge centrally'tisposed lengthwme running: rooveformed its upper surfaw,

said rteve having Bail s'e" a:ts-inits"bottomya' A af -lettppmatugtomtfisin-g an'tlbt a'ted 4 i f 7 0 httvingfthe co rugation;14 formed di reetlyi Bet the attention dis'loedf anzidtsiretesectrbyrjt;'

sto at one end-"615* said groove; satdbt'd t' qrmRR s; i

